Dec 2019/End of Year Wrap Up

Hi friends! It’s nearly Christmas and I just can’t believe how quickly time has flown. This has been quite a month, and a year, but all full of good things! With just about a week left I’ve been reflecting on what an amazing reading year I’ve had. Of course, the year isn’t over and I still have some books that I need to finish, and some I would like to finish. Taking a look at my stats with the 2019 Goodreads Challenge goal I set for myself, I’ve read a total of 146 books so far this year, which leaves me with only 4 more to complete my challenge of reading 150 books. In 2018 I set myself the goal of reading 60 books (double my 2017 total) and I surprised myself by reaching that by midyear. I ended up bumping it to 100 books and completed the 2018 year with a total of 102 books read. I thought 150 books in 2019 would be a stretch, but it’s proven to be fairly easy. I probably would have exceeded my goal by now, but I had quite a reading slump starting around the end of September and stretching into early November. I only just got my groove back! I’ve also taken on a few bookish projects these past few months, having been accepted as an Ambassador for Celadon Books to review early ARCs, as well as being invited to participate in a lot of Blog Tours for Harlequin Publishing and all associated presses. It has been quite a blast!

Here is what I’ve read so far this month….

Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan – 5 stars
Tater Tot at the Chase: A Happy Helper by Laura Holman Byrne (gift for my nephew) – 4 stars
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev (gift for my nephew) – 4 stars
An Alaskan Christmas (Wild River #1) by Jennifer Snow – 4 stars
Christmas in London by Anita Hughes – 3 stars
Shark’s Edge (Shark’s Edge #1) by Angel Payne & Victoria Blue – 4 stars
The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater – 4 stars
The Secret Zoo (The Secret Zoo #1) by Bryan Chick (gift for my niece) – 4 stars
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera – 4 stars
Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan – 5 stars

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These are the books I still have in progress and hope to finish….

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry – 5% in
Patterns: Rise of Gods (The Patterns Trilogy #1) by Dark Ashton – 10% in
The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1) by Genevieve Cogman – 4% in
The German House by Annette Hess – 50% in – Plan to review for NetGalley**

If I finish these I will meet my goal!!! Yay!!

But….. I have a couple books I haven’t started yet that I still need to read this month.

Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy #2) by Emily A. Duncan – ARC from NetGalley for a review **
Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva – a group read for a facebook group I help Admin
A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro – a group read for a facebook group I help Admin

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I have set some high goals for myself for the last 9 days of the year, but I’ll be on Christmas Vacation starting Tuesday and it’s going to be a nice low-key vacation. I’ll have plenty of reading time! I’m really looking forward to spending the holiday with my family and getting some rest and relaxation before I come back to work to complete the crazy season!! These last couple weeks have been tough between being very sick, and working overtime.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holidays! My wish for you is that you are able to spend time with family and friends, have a hot meal and get to put your feet up for even a little while. Remember to take some time away from social media distractions and cherish time spent with those around you, as we quite often take it for granted. Merry Christmas!!